Raptors-Pistons Game Postponed Tentatively to Wednesday
The Toronto Raptors will have their second straight game postponed due to the NBA's Health and Safety protocols, the league announced Monday.
The Raptors had been scheduled to host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in Tampa, but Toronto did not have the required eight eligible active players to participate in the game. The game has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET.
The news comes as the Raptors continue to battle COVID-19 issues for the first time this season. After playing their 34 games as scheduled, Toronto was forced to postpone Sunday night's game against the Chicago Bulls due to league protocols.
It remains unclear when the team will have Pascal Siakam, head coach Nick Nurse, and its five other assistant coaches who were all ruled out earlier in the week due to COVID-19 protocols. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday that Toronto would be without Siakam through the All-Star break scheduled for later this week. Initially, that was thought to be three games, but with two of the three postponed and just one more game schedule before the All-Star break, it's possible the Raptors will have Siakam back for their next game.
If things go as scheduled, the Raptors will play a back-to-back starting in Tampa against the Pistons on Wednesady night before hitting the road for Thursday night's game in Boston to wrap up their pre-All-Star break schedule. If the games are played, Sergio Scariolo is expected to be the team's head coach as Nurse is expected to be out for "a couple of weeks," according to the Toronto Star's Doug Smith.
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